Kevin Fetterly is running for the Bainbridge Island City Council, District 7 North Ward, against Joe Deets.
Name: Kevin Fetterly
Campaign website: fetterly4bi.com
Education: Stanford University, MSEE 1977
Professional experience: Electrical Engineer for 40 years and President of Apria Technology
Public service: None
Q&A with Kevin Fetterly
Bainbridge Island City Council, District 7 North Ward
1. Should building height restrictions be loosened?
Yes, we should allow up to a 20 percent increase in project density also long as ALL the added units are all designated Affordable and managed by one of the non-profit Housing Trusts. The current “Green Construction” allowance should be limited to 10 percent. So if a developer implements both allowances, they could increase density by 30 percent.
2. Do you support the construction of a parking garage?
The need for a parking is a symptom of an inadequate public transportation system. It’s hard to shake the car habit when the bus schedules cover only morning and evening runs. A garage will increase the Winslow traffic and pollution, but on-the-other-hand it would make for a more convenient shopping/dining experience in Winslow.
Since the benefits of a garage will accrue to the Winslow Commercial Property owners, I would suggest that the City form a Local Commercial Improvement District (LID) to pay for the construction. The increased taxes from the LID will pay for the Bond funding. The City should pay nothing.
3. Should the police station proposal go before voters for approval?
As a member of the City Council, I will work with the City Manager and Police chief to cut the size of project from $32.5M down to $20M. But even with this lower price tag, the issue should go before the Voters.
4. Should the extension of the Olympics trail go to a public vote?
No need… as the City should do a better job of route planning to avoid destroying the conifer trees. If the next segment stays off the 305 Highway right-of-way, then we will not have to build to WA State standards. We all expected a Burke-Gilman Trail and got the bicycle “super highway.”
5. Should all committee meetings be open to the public?
No, while we all want total transparency there will be some subjects that are sensitive and need to be discussed and solved before going public. Take for example, the Police Station siting; the Council will need the opportunity to evaluate some properties that may require eminent domain proceedings. We would not want to tip off the land speculators.
We should reevaluate the criteria for private meetings before proceeding with any more.
6. Complete this sentence: I will consider myself an effective council member if …
we can tighten-up the Council’s decision making process and its financial management. The majority of the Council members share a similar “world view”. That is, they all march in the same direction. The problem with so much collegiality is that it doesn’t weed out the bad ideas. So we end up with $1M waterfront restrooms, $3M bridges-to-nowhere, $32.5M police stations, and $34M parking garages. I would hope to bring some fresh air into this tight-knit group.
